


By the Way

by zvi



Series: Directions in Time [1]
Category: Heroes - Fandom
Genre: Character of Color, First Time, M/M, time-travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-08
Updated: 2009-01-08
Packaged: 2017-10-02 04:18:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zvi/pseuds/zvi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ando noticed when Hiro began looking at him more intently than he normally did, but … he didn't realize the future was a factor at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By the Way

**Author's Note:**

> I started this because I thought I was going to have to write a pinch hit for one of my participants in I Saw Three Ships. The pinch hitter came through, and it turned out this story worked better with a couple than a threesome, anyway. The prompt was "Time-hopping."

Ando noticed when Hiro began looking at him more _intently_ than he normally did, but he didn't immediately grant it any significance. This was not because he had forgotten the break in trust between them when Hiro had gone to the future and seen a future!Ando shoot a future!Hiro. Rather, he didn't realize the future was a factor at all.

So, his assumption, when Hiro began to watch him, was that Hiro wanted to test his new powers in some fashion. Ando said nothing, as he was not entirely convinced Hiro _needed_ a powerboost, not for any practical purpose. He could already travel from New York to Japan, and he had traveled back in the past four hundred years. Going more than four hundred years in the future, while potentially very cool, seemed unlikely to be useful in any way. And there had been more than enough problems with going a month or two in the past; he did not want to think about going two or three thousand years, or a million. What if they stepped on the cockroach that was destined to evolve into the human race?

But, eventually, the looking bothered him enough that he said to Hiro, "Why are you watching me?"

Hiro sighed and put down his pizza. (They were in New York. Hiro always ate local specialties.) "I went to the future last week and I saw something…odd."

Ando put down his own slice of pizza and considered getting up and leaving. He did not because Hiro could follow him. And he did not want to find out that Hiro would not follow him. "What did I do?"

Hiro shook his head and waved his hands. "I know," he said, "that _you_ did not do it, yet. And that you may not do it." He tapped his chin. "Specifically. But it's the sort of thing I would expect you to do now. Generally, I mean. And I had no idea you would. Or that you might like to." He considered. "In fact, I thought you were opposed, until I went to the future."

"Hiro, I have no idea what you are talking about. You make even less sense than usual when speaking of other times than now." He narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you just tell me what you saw?"

"You were kissing a man."

"What?"

Hiro shrugged and picked up a pizza. "You met a man on the street, a man you clearly knew. He said, 'Hello, sweetheart,' and you kissed. On the mouth."

"What?"

"I am just very sad that you did not tell me you are gay." He stopped considered. "Bisexual. I know you like the blondes."

Ando could feel himself blushing. He wasn't gay. There had been a boy on his golfing team that he had done things with, but that was because they were so young and it was an all-male school. Well, and that one time three years ago in that nightclub. And that other time five years ago. And the last time he was—Ando admitted to himself that it was possible he would some day have a relationship with a man who would call him sweetheart. He shrugged and said, "Sometimes, when I have been too long without a woman, I accept," he searched for the right words, "alternative companionship."

Hiro's eyes opened wide and he dropped his pizza—no, a blink and the pizza was on the table, Hiro sitting back, looking much more calm and collected.

Ando raised his eyebrows. "How long did you take to recover yourself?"

Hiro scowled, then grinned. "I went to Disneyland for three days."

Ando laughed. "You just wanted to ride Space Mountain a bunch of times."

"Well, yes," said Hiro.

Then Ando thought of something. "Was it you?"

Hiro blinked. "Was who me? I—what were we saying?"

"The man I was kissing in the future."

Hiro frowned. "Of course, it was. You know other men you would be kissing? Who? Peter Petrelli? Mohinder Suresh? _Flying Man_?"

Ando shrugged. "It was the future. I could have met—Hey! You want to kiss me?"

Hiro looked at Ando, and Ando knew that the look meant that Ando was very, very dim.

"You never said anything! You never said _you_ were gay!"

Hiro shrugged. "I'm not. But you are…different. You are special. You are," he paused, shrugged. "Ando, if you want to have sex with me, I will. If you want me to kiss you, I will. You are my chosen partner, and if that means being your partner in all things, I am happy for it."

Ando sat back, picked up his pizza. "I like women, anyway," he said. "Much better than men." It was not that he would not have wanted to do those things with Hiro, but he did not want to do them if Hiro was not interested, if there was a chance still for him to find a woman to be with.

Hiro nodded and picked up his own pizza, and they finished eating in a weird, companionable silence.

The intensity of Hiro's observation did not taper off, however. Ando did not know what to make of this, but he was hesitant to ask what prompted this behavior. The last time had been, not painful, but more revealing than he had ever expected.

But he could not find it in himself to be very surprised when Hiro kissed him a week later. And he was somehow even less surprised when they had sex, and it was very good. But the next morning, as he lay in bed, and watched Hiro blink muzzily at him without his glasses, he had to ask. "What changed?"

"I went to the future and asked you."

"Asked me?"

Hiro nodded. "I asked you if we were together, if you were happy we were together. And also how to do it."

"Do it?"

Hiro waved a hand between them. "Sex."

"I wondered how you were so good at it!"

"You are a very good teacher." And Hiro rolled over and kissed him good morning, and Ando went with it.


End file.
